Transcript courtesy Richard Dawkings

CS300A – Book Review
The Tell-Tale Brain
V.S. Ramachandran
Reviewed by Sharbatanu Chatterjee
Special Thanks to Ashish Batler
Introduction
This book, by the 'Marco Polo of neuroscience' (courtesy Richard Dawkings) takes us on a fascin
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It describes several studies of patients with bizarre symptoms and, using them, studies of norma
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En route, contemplating on big questions of aesthetics, language, art, neural mechanisms and th
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Major Takeaways
We are no mere ape!
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The nature of the brain's evolution is 'happenstantial'!
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“We are no mere ape”
Anatomically every part of our brain has a direct mapping onto brains of great apes.
However certain regions are so radically elaborated that at the functional (or cognitive) level, they
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Mirror neuron circuitry is present in great apes, but only in humans have they evolved to model o
It is thus this imitation, this culture and imitative learning that culminated in “the ape that looked i
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Shift in Views : The plastic brain
The phantom limb phenomenon
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The exploitation of platicisity by a prolonged neoteny
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The learning of humour
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The sinister origins of a smile
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We're unique – Homo plasticus
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Vision – Evolution is 'Happenstential'
Vision – Evolution is 'Happenstential'
Synaesthesia
A surreal blending of sensation, perception and emotion.
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Syneasthetes taste colour, hear shapes, see sounds and touch emotions!
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Neural cross wiring
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Ingenious experiment to deny any form of learning involved from childhood.
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Mirror Neurons
Are fired at not merely the experience of a phenomenon, but also the view or sight of others exp
“Free” us from Darwinian shackles and allow us to learn and empathise and develop a culture
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Are truly called the neurons that shaped civilization
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Language
The great scion of human uniqueness!
Enormous lexicon at young ages.
Humans can use functional words in context of language.
'Off line' referring
Metaphors and analogy
Flexible, recursive syntax
Does thinking require language – does language precede propositional logic? - The failure of a
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Art & Aesthetics
The nine laws of aesthetics :
Grouping, Peak Shift, Contrast, Isolation, Peekaboo, Abhorrence of coincidence, Orderliness, S
Reasons – evolution
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showing off
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Nature's virtual reality
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meaning not coded as language
Introspection
The patient named Jason – with akinetic mutism.
Aspects of self – Unity, Continuity, Embodiment, Privacy, Social embedding, Free will, Self-awa
Various patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (I am dead) and other disorders (this is not my arm
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Epilogue
The real drive to understand the self, though, comes not from the need to develop treatments,
Yet as human beings, we have to accept with humility that the question of ultimate origins will a
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Thank You!